During commercial meat production, a carcass is subjected to a number of different procedures. The animal is first slaughtered, the hide is removed from the carcass, and the carcass is washed. The carcass may then be contacted with hot water and/or steamed pasteurized, and the carcass may also be subjected to one or more electrical stimulation processes. During commercial meat production, the carcass may be attached to a trolley or shackle at different points in the meat processing line. The carcass then travels along the meat processing line where it is subjected to a number of processes, including those identified above, as well as weighing of the carcass and removal of various portions of the carcass. The carcasses are also inspected at a number of locations along the meat processing line, where certain information regarding carcasses may be collected and recorded by the inspectors and others.
Livestock carcasses and meat products are tracked for a variety of reasons, including monitoring the efficiency of a meat production facility and the safe handling and processing of the carcasses and meat products. Meat producers have therefore instituted tracking systems in meat processing plants which utilize a unique identifier for each carcass that enters the meat processing line so that the carcass, and the meat products derived from it, may be tracked as they move along the processing line. The information collected may be used for a variety of purposes, including sorting carcasses before they are broken down into meat products for packaging and tracking carcass information back to the producer of the animal. The collection of information is not limited to the processing plant, but may also be ascertained at numerous locations within a feedlot, farm or ranch. In many instances, this information is collected and analyzed by hand, at a considerable cost to the collecting party, and the information is difficult to obtain in a consistent manner over time, as personnel changes, inconsistencies in training, and individual variations in the collection and presentation of information make consistent collection difficult.
By way of example, beef livers that are isolated as a meat product from carcasses are typically individually hand inspected by representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture along the meat processing line. During this inspection, the inspector is present in the processing plant so that each liver can be visually inspected and given a quality grade, which inspection may include observing a liver as it passes by and/or picking up a liver in order to view one or more sides. The inspector places one or more stamps on the liver, indicating the grade given, such as sufficient for human consumption (one stamp) or sufficient for animal consumption (two stamps), both of which are profitable grades as the liver may be processed and delivered for sale to consumers. The inspector may also grade a liver as inedible or condemned (three stamps), which represents a complete financial loss as all of these livers must be destroyed. A liver may be graded as inedible or condemned for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, the presence of abscesses resulting from a fast conversion to a high protein diet in advance of slaughter. While all condemned livers result in a financial loss, this type of condemned liver is of particular concern as they represent the vast majority of condemned livers, yet their condition is preventable in live animals prior to slaughter, via the use of commercially available drugs. If this type of liver is treated prior to slaughter, it may then represent a profit as it is more likely to be graded in such a way as to allow sale to consumers, rather than graded as condemned. There are several commercially available drugs that may be used to treat and prevent the presence of abscesses in beef livers that result from a fast conversion to a high protein diet in advance of slaughter, such as the antibiotic macrolide tylosin, among others.
During commercial meat production, it is common to track and identify meat carcasses while they are on the meat production line. Carcasses are tracked for a variety of reasons, including monitoring the efficiency of the meat production facility and to identify and monitor carcasses to ensure that meat has been safely handled and processed. In addition, carcasses may be tracked during meat production so that certain information may be accumulated and maintained while the carcass is in the meat production facility. This information may include the weight of the carcass, the specific type of animal from which the carcass was derived, data about the source of the animal (e.g., breeder, ranch location, etc.), and a variety of other information that may be used to track the carcass. This information may be used for a variety of purposes, including ensuring the meat has been properly aged, aiding and sorting carcasses before they are broken down into meat products for packaging, and tracking carcass information back to the producer of the animal or tracing carcass information from the farm to the packaged meat. In addition, information about carcasses that impact the price of meat, such as quality and cutability, may be collected at different locations in the plant.
Meat producers have therefore instituted tracking systems in meat processing plants. A unique identifier for each carcass that enters the meat processing line is used such that the carcass may be tracked and it can be verified that each carcass has been subjected to each procedure on the meat processing line (e.g., steam pasteurization, washing, trimming, electrical stimulation, and so on).